Blue and Bronze
by Julia Claire
Summary: Louis isn't just another Weasley or perfect Victoire's little brother. He's a Ravenclaw. NOT incest.


**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine.**

**A/N: In my mind, Louis has always been the middle child. A reviewer recently pointed out to me that he's supposed to be the youngest one in his family. While this does explain some confusion I had while reading certain NextGen fics, I really can't bring myself to switch his and Dominique's ages. So in this story, and all the others I might write about Louis, he is one year younger than Victoire, and two years older than Dom. **

Blue and Bronze

"RAVENCLAW!" the Sorting Hat announced to the Great Hall.

Louis Weasley pulled off the hat and grinned shyly at the Ravenclaw table, which had burst into enthusiatic applause. He jumped off the stool, trying not to notice the slight murmuring that was punctuating the applause. There wasn't a lot of it - Louis knew he wasn't interesting enough to create much a stir - but still, he knew there were some people who were wondering how in name of Merlin a Weasley had been Sorted anywhere other than Gryffindor. He reckoned they probably all thought he hadn't been good enough. Maybe they were right. He'd never really been good at anything, even being a Weasley. He didn't have anything of the what he called the Common Weasley Traits.

(One) He didn't have red hair, although admittedly that wasn't odd as it had once been. Molly, Fred, Roxanne, and Albus didn't look like their heads were on fire either.

(Two) He wasn't brave. At all. He'd always had to make Dominique, his fearless younger sister, get rid of any spider in sight.

(Three) Louis wasn't funny. Not that he was entirely without a funny bone; he laughed at his family's jokes (as long as they won't on him.) He just very good at making his own jokes. Uncle George always gave his sisters and cousins Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' products for their birthdays, but he only ever got books for Louis. Louis liked books, but the ones Uncle George picked out were always wrong - either too stupid or too boring - and truth be told, even if they'd been brilliant books, he'd still rather get joke shop products. He knew his uncle was trying to be nice, but every Christmas, when all the cousins played pranks on each other all day, Louis felt terribly left out.

(Four) He knew how to close him mouth. It never failed to astound him how loud they could all be - he can't remember a time when only one person was talking, and everyone else was listening. His grandma could occasionally get them all to shut up, but as this usually involved her yelling instead of talking, Louis figured that this didn't really count.

(Five) He wasn't obnoxious, which was the only Common Weasley Trait that he never wished he had. Perhaps this one was a bit unfair, but he didn't really think so. Family parties, after all, could drive him crazy in under half an hour (under ten minutes if Louis didn't at least attempt to avoid James).

(Six) All Weasleys were Gryffindors. This last one was the only one Louis ever had a chance of having, but now it's official - he'd never be a proper Weasley. He wasn't sure he wanted to be a completely different person, but sometimes, even at the family parties where every single room in the house (no matter who house it was, and Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's was pretty big) was crowded with people, Louis completely alone.

He was terrified of what they'd all think about his being a Ravenclaw. His parents would care - he knew that, even if his father had been a Lion and there's no doubt that his Maman would be one as well, no matter how many times she scoffed the whole Sorting tradition. But the rest of his family? Louis was already wincing when he thought of what James, Roxanne, and Dominique would say...

They're all younger then he is, so it really shouldn't bother him, but it did. He tried to push the thought out of his mind as walked towards his new House table. None of them knew what House the Sorting Hat had picked for him yet, except, of course, for one, but he really didn't want to look over at her...

He was only a few steps away when he couldn't bear it anymore. He stole a glance over at the Gryffindor table. A glance was all he needed; his older sister had never been hard to find. Louis was the one who was good at that.

Victoire was clapping for him, smiling, her eyes only slightly widened in surprise.

Louis looked away from her, feeling angry. Of course, he wasn't sure what Victoire could have done to make him happy, but he was just plain sick of it, fed up with Victoire being the perfect older sister all the bloody time.

A broad grin spread over his face as he took a seat next to Brian Maley. Godric, no, _Rowena_, he was glad to be a 'Claw, no matter his family thought, if only so he could finally escape Victoire's magnificent shadow.

* * *

The way Louis saw it, Victoire had been born two steps ahead of him, and, no matter how fast he walked, he was never going to catch up. He feel to often or slowed down, but Victoire made none of these mistakes. She was always going faster, and she had never stumbled in her life.

At first, being in Ravenclaw makes little difference to Louis. All his new teachers were hers last year, and they waste no time telling him how utterly brilliant his sister is. The only one who didn't was Professor McGonagall. Louis knew she'd had Victoire last year - she'd even had his dad. McGonagall had let Professor Nicolai take the Heamaster's job in 1997, so she could go back to, in her words, "Teaching Transfiguration until the day I die."

"Let's hope she doesn't pull a Binns on us," one of the Grffindors had muttered when she'd told them this.

McGonagall, whose hearing was evidently as sharp as ever, had snapped, "There's no need to worry about that, Mr. Hanley. Trust me when I say that I will have much better things to do with my afterlife than haunt all of you."

Louis had laughed. He liked McGonagall - he knew Victoire had excelled at Transfiguration just as much as everything else, but when McGonagall took attendence, and called his name, she merely nodded at him. She said nothing about Victoire or any of his aunts and uncles, For once, Louis felt like his own person, and he liked that.

* * *

"Merlin, I'm starved," Jimmy McCollen complained, "I thought you said you knew where the Great Hall was."

"I do," Brian Maley said irritably, "I mean, I think I do..."

"That's what you said an hour ago!"

"It wasn't an hour - ten minutes, maybe-"

"It was much longer than ten minutes," Jimmy moaned, "Right, Louis?"

Louis shrugged. "I dunno. It's been a while..."

"At least I'm doing something," Brian snapped, "I'm trying to figure out where we are. The two of you have just been complaining like old hags..."

"I thought you said you knew where we were," Jimmy said slyly, grinning at Louis.

"I do! I mean, we -"

"Are completely lost," Louis put in.

"No, well," Brian looked around hopelessly, "Yeah."

Jimmy moaned, "I knew it! Brains, if I get down there and breakfast is over - "

"I told you not to call me Brains!" Brian yelped, outraged.

"Which is exactly why I did. See, I'm angry with you right now, because you said you knew where we were going, and now we're lost."

"It's not my fault - it's only my second day here and there's all these stupid moving staircases - "

"You're supposed to be a Ravenclaw!" Jimmy exclaimed. "You know, intelligent."

"So are you!"

Louis rolled his eyes and stopped listening. He looked around, trying to figure out where they were, but none of the tapestries or knights looked the slightest bit familiar...

He spotted a window at the end of the corridor. Looking out it, he could see one of the Giant Squid's tentacles stcking lazily out of the lake.

Wait a moment, Louis thought. "Hey, guys," he said, interrupting their argument, "I think I know where we are..."

"Really?" Jimmy asked.

"Maybe," Louis said uncertainly, "I mean, I think that if the lake's that way, then - "

"Lead the way, Louis," Brian said, "I don't even care. You can't get us anymore lost than I did, can you?"

"True, that," Jimmy nodded.

"Shut up."

Five minutes later, they were standing in front of the Great Hall.

"Yes!" Jimmy shouted, pounding Louis on the back.

Brian seemed shocked. "Merlin, you have an amazing sense of direction."

"I guess," Louis shrugged, not knowing what to say. He feels good though, happier than he has been in a long time.

* * *

"GO, JIMMY, GO!" Louis shouted.

"COME ON, COME ON!" Brian yelled.

They were second years now, decked out in blue scarves and hats for the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor Quidditch match.

"You know we're going to lose, right?" Sophie Adams, the pretty Ravenclaw third year who was sitting right behind them, asked.

"Yeah," Brian said, as Gryffindor scored another goal, making the score 100-10, "So we might as well give them some moral support, right?"

"Plus, Jimmy's a pain in the arse if he doesn't hear us cheering," Louis told her. She laughed, and his stomach gave a tiny flip-flop.

Brian snorted. "Jimmy's a pain in the arse anyway. And this better end soon, because I have two essays to write."

"I think it will," Sophie said, "I mean, their Seeker's a lot better than ours. Their Chasers are amazing, too. I mean, your sister's doing awesome, Louis."

Yeah," Sophie's friend Ashley put in, "She's scored like, what forty points?"

"Fifty," Louis said automatically, immediately hating himself for been keeping track, "I mean, Teddy Lupin scored three goals, and that other boy, Davies, had two."

"Oh," Ashley said. "You should go out for the team next year, Louis."

"Why?" he asked her, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "I'm nowhere near as good as Victoire is."

It was true. Louis was terrible at Quidditch. He hated that it still bugged him, that he still tried to keep score between them. He wanted to be happy for his sister, but, sometimes he wished that she would be god-awful at just one thing.

* * *

"That was phenonenal, Mr. Weasley," Professpr McGonagall said, looking at his tea cup, which, only moments before, had been a wineglass. "Your Transfiguration work is just spectacular."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Weasley," Jimmy cracked as soon as she moved on to the next table, "You really know how to kiss a teacher's - "

"Mr. McCollen," McGongall snapped, withough turning around, "As your wineglass remains a wineglass, I would suggest that you focus on your own work."

"I'm just admiring Mr. Weasley's _spectacular_ transfiguration, Professor," Jimmy said.

"Mr. McCollen - "

"Okay, okay," Jimmy said hastily.

"You gave in easily," Louis muttered, "Normally, you make about ten more wisecracks before she gets you to stop."

"I forgot to do that essay on Animagi until like, an hour before class," Jimmy muttered, "So I'm trying to stay on her good side."

"That's your idea of staying on her good side?" Louis chortled softly.

"I can't believe you were sorted into Ravenclaw," Brian muttered disgustedly.

"Shut up, Brains. We can't all be as brilliant as you and Louis," Jimmy retorted.

"I'm not brilliant," Louis said, cutting off Brian's angry protest. He got good grades, sure, but they were nothing compared to Victoire's. Not that he was going to say that. Generally, he tried to avoid the subject of his sister, even with his friends.

He was even quieter than usual for the rest of the lesson. It was all too easy to just nod and smile at all Jimmy's moans that Transfiguration was impossible. Perhaps McGonagall noticed, because at the end of class, she held him back.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Weasley?"

He started to say, "No," but hesistated.

"Is Mr. McCollen annoying you?"

Louis laughed. "Oh, no. Well, yes, actually, but no more than usual. He's one of my best friends. It's just - "

She looked at him, and he noticed that her mouth seemed less thin than usual.

"It's nothing, really," he said. "I'm fine."

"Does it concern your sister?" she asked in a knowing voice.

He nodded, surprised. "It's just - well, you said my Transfiguration homework was brilliant and all, but I know hers must have been _better_."

"Mr. Weasley," she said sharply, "Why in the name of Merlin should that matter to you even if it were true?"

She marched out of the room, leaving an incredulous Louis behind her.

* * *

"Oh, Merlin," Jimmy moaned, staring across the corridor, where Victoire was standing with amidst a crowd of people, "I'm sorry, Louis, but your sister is _hot_."

It was the start of their fourth year now, and while boys in his year had had crushes on Victoire since they started at Hogwarts, it seemed ten times worse now.

Louis looked over at Brian, and then sighed. His other best friend wasn't even paying attention; he was too busy staring at his sister's blue eyes, blonde hair, and perfect features.

Louis had the same colouring - light blue eyes and blonde hair - but he lacked the perfection of her face and figure, lacked her gracefulness and beauty. He had never captivated girls in the way that Victoire captivated boys. He knew why, of course - his mother had been sure to tell them all about their heritage.

He had Veela blood, and he was descended from Veelas, but Louis could never truly be one, because he was male. Veelas - true ones, the ones that danced and turned into birds - were always female. Male "Veelas" were only there to marry the females, and carry the line on.

Victoire and Dominique weren't truly Veela either because they had too many human ancestors. Victoire would never be as stunningly beautiful as so many of her ancestors did. She was pretty and seemed to have an extra sort of charm to her, but that was it.

Louis had never regretted that he wasn't as good-looking as she was. It just annoyed him. The way some of his classmates went on, she was more than just a pretty girl - she was practically a goddess. He knew his sister was pretty, but he didn't find her attractive, thank Merlin. Personally, Louis found the freckled face and brown curls of Sophie Adams a whole lot more interesting.

Jimmy was still staring at Victoire. "I mean, man. It's really too bad she's got a boyfriend. Are they solid, Louis?"

Louis shrugged; he didn't even try to keep up with his sister's social life. He knew she was dating Steven Johnson, a seventh year Gryffindor, but that was it. Besides, he hated talking about his sister. "I dunno. Can we go to Charms now?"

Jimmy didn't answer. "Think you can put in a good word for me, Louis?"

Louis felt a rush a anger. Turning on his heels, he marched off to class, although, since Victoire had flipped her hair over her shoulder at that same moment, he wasn't entirely sure either of his friends had noticed.

* * *

"Louis!"

He'd been writing a Potions essay in the library, but looked up at his angry younger sister. It was his fourth year, now, and she'd just recently started at Hogwarts. "Dominique, be quiet! It's the library - Madame Pince'll kill us if we're too loud."

"Fine," she lowered her voice slightly. "But, Louis, I just can't take it anymore!"

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's her!" his younger sister said angrily, sweeping her tangled red hair out of her face.

"Victoire?"

"Of course I mean Victoire," Dominque said bitterly, "Or should I say Princess Victoire. It's what everyone else calls her."

"They call her Princess?" he asked disgustedly.

"Well, no. But it's implied," she said, and he rolled his eyes. His younger sister had always had a tendency to make things more dramatic, although, if he was being honest, in this instance, she wasn't really exaggerating all that much.

"So what did she do?"

"It's not so much what she's done," Dominique said, "As just who she is. I mean, it really sucks, being her little sister."

"I know," he replied darkly, "I'm her younger sibling too, remember?"

"Yes, but at least you're in Ravenclaw," she said distractedly, waving her hands, "You don't know what it's like, sharing a tower with her. Everything is Victoire this, or Victoire that. Practically all the boys are in love with her, and all the girls want to be her, even if a couple of them don't admit it," she sighed and went on, "But you know what the worst part is? It's that they're all right, in a way. She is perfect, and she's not even really mean about it. She's smart, funny, popular, amazing at Quidditch, and, of course, a freaking Veela!"

"We're all one-eighth Veela too, Dom," Louis pointed out, "Same as her."

"But you're a boy and I inherited too many damn Weasley genes," she scowled.

"You don't like being a Weasley?" he asked, surprised. Dominique had all of the six common Weasley traits. "And don't swear."

"Oh, get over it Louis," she scoffed, then sighed, "And no, I don't. I love it, actually, but I wish I'd been the one with the long, straight white-blonde hair, the sparkling blue eyes, or her figure..."

She still wasn't exaggerating.

"Instead I'm tall, stocky, with muddy brown eyes, and wild red hair," she finished disgustedly.

He really didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to try something. "Dom, you're only eleven. You shouldn't even be thinking about stuff like this yet..."

"Which means, give up," she cried, tears in her eyes, "You'll never be as good as she is!"

"Dom," he said, "Stop. I'm serious. You're pretty, just in a different way than she is. You look more like, well, Aunt Ginny than Maman, that's." Quite honestly, she looked like their dad, before he'd been attacked (Louis had seen pictures), but he reckoned she'd think that looking like Aunt Ginny was better than looking like their dad.

"You're good at Quidditch - I've seen the way you fly - you're funny, vibrant, and, er, tenacious," he continued.

"But she's a prefect," she argued, although she looked slightly pacified, "I'll never be. I've already got a detention, and I reckon my marks are always going to be lower than hers."

He gulped. It still hurt that Victoire had been made a prefect, although it hadn't be unexpected. He'd hoped that he could be the first prefect in the family, but, as always, Victoire had done it first. "Dom, it's only your first month of school, and you know I can help you with lessons whenever..."

"Thanks, but I reckon I'll always be second-best," she looked at him, "Or third."

That comment hurt more than anything - that he could hurt Dominique like Victoire hurt him. "Oh, Dom - you know it's not a contest. This whole thing is stupid, really. I'm not any better than you - just different, and she's not any better than either of us."

She bit her lip, and he knew that if Dominique had been any bit less strong or stubborn, she'd be crying right now. "You can say that Louis, but do you really believe it?"

He stared back, feeling hopeless. He wanted to say yes, but they'd both know he'd was lying.

* * *

"Hey, Louis?"

He looked up from the essay he'd been working on in the Ravenclaw common room to see Sophie Adams. "Oh, hey, Sophie."

He dropped the parchment and tried to look cool. Behind her, Brian smirked.

"Hear about the Hogmeade visit next weekend?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," he said, wishing he could say something more interesting.

She waited a moment. "Well, I was wondering if you, maybe you'd like to go with me?"

For a moment, he could hardly process it. Was she asking him out? Brian nodded his head vigorously, and Louis realized that he was supposed to answer her.

"Oh, yeah," he said again, then shook himself, "I'd love to."

"See you then, then," she said, flashing him a grin.

"Godric, you're lucky," Brian groaned as soon as she was out of earshot, "Mind you, I didn't know if you were going to give her an answer there..."

Louis wasn't listening. Being Victoire's younger brother, he realised, hadn't exactly given him a lot of confidence. He'd liked Sophie forever, but the fact that she liked him back was shocking to say the least.

* * *

Louis and Sophie were playing Exploding Snap up in her dormitory when Ashley came in. The Hogsmeade weekend had been a couple of weeks before, and now, they were officially a couple.

"Um, Louis," Ashley said, "Your sister's crying in the bathroom."

"What?" Louis asked distractedly, still looking at his girlfriend. "Dom?"

"No," she replied, "Victoire."

"Victoire?" he said, so surprised by this that he turned his full attention to Ashley. "_Victoire's_ crying in the bathroom?"

"The prefect's one," she said, "Sorry. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she said she was fine. I didn't know what to do, and I know you can't go in there, but I figured, you know, you might want to ask her about it..."

He was stunned. His perfect older sister was crying in the bathroom? What the hell could be wrong? Was there bad news from home?

"Uh, thanks Ashley," he said, "I guess I'll go look for her. See you later, Sophie..."

He found her almost immediately, in the seventh floor corridor. She was just sitting there, no longer crying, although it was clear that she had just been doing so.

"Victoire?" he asked tentatively. They didn't talk much in school. Not that they ignored each other, but - they'd taken different paths.

She didn't respond. He noticed that she didn't look beautiful, perfect, or even special. She just looked lost.

"Ashley said she saw you in the bathroom and you were crying." He's terrified of what she'll say next. His older sister's life was so good that he can't imagine she'd cry for any reason other than bad news about their parents or extended family. "Is something wrong with Maman or Dad?"

Slowly, she looked up at him. "No, 'course not. They're fine. But," she sighed, "I'm such a failure, Louis."

Relieved, he said, "Of course you're not, Victoire. What d'ya mean?"

"Everything's gone wrong. I'm playing awful in Quidditch, and Teddy and Dom hate me, and Steve and Polly are acting weird, and I dunno. I can't keep up. I try so hard to go faster, but I just feel like I'm always falling."

This was so ironic that he almost laughed, but somehow managed not to. She went on, "I can't do it all: prefect duties, Quidditch practice, Steve, and schoolwork. I'm so behind in Tranfiguration that I dunno if I'll even pass the O.W.L."

But you're _Victoire_, he wanted to say. You're perfect, the best at everything. It occured to him that, for once, she'd fallen and he hadn't. He could take the lead in the race now, could walk away and leave her on the ground.

She was his sister, though, and he was her younger brother, and he was sick of racing, of losers and winners, and triumphs and failures. It was all so stupid.

He stuck out his hand, "Come on, Victoire."

She sniffled once more and took it. He pulled her up. "Let's go to library, and Sophie and I can help you with Transfiguration. I know I'm a year younger than you, but - "

"You're a Ravenclaw," she said, "Of course you can help me."

There was a moment of silence, and then his sister said, "Louis?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem," he grinned at her. They walked together, side by side.

* * *

The next day, Louis saw Victoire in the hallway. Steven had his arms around her, and she was laughing. Half the boys in the hallway, including Jimmy and Brian, were staring at her, captivated.

Once, Louis would have looked apon the scene and seen his sister's perfection, her ideal life. He wasn't so sure about that anymore. Perhaps she just hid her flaws better than others, under all her acheivements, all the colours she wore so well. She had red, gold, green, silver, yellow, white, black, gray - the list went on and on.

He wasn't sure about much longer she could keep it up, but he wasn't hoping for her to fail anymore. Louis had Jimmy, Brian, Sophie, his brains, and Transfiguration.

Louis had his blue and bronze, the only colours that were his alone and not Victoire's, and, hell, that was pretty good.

* * *

_This was written for Hogwarts Online. The challenge was to write about a Ravenclaw and their traits. Mine got kind of long for a oneshot, but whatever. Anyway, this fic is set in the same universe as my yet-"unpublished" chapter story about Victoire Weasley._


End file.
